ElectricChampagne
Well-Known Member
I'm living in an area where there are a few livery yards but most are expensive and quite a few don't give the service they say the do.
I decided a few years ago to travel to a yard that was an hour's journey from home, but had good facilities, good hacking and decent enough care. The liveries there were friendly and helpful and no nastyness.
The yard owner became quite fond of me and the trainers at the yard used to ask me to organise events and trips for the group of liveries.
Anyway between the jiggs and the reels - I became involved in what can only be called serious stalking and character assassination to the point of violence and bullying - from the fiance of one of the liveries at that yard. he tried to cajole me into having an affair with him behind the fiance's back and didn't take too kindly to me telling him where to shove it. So basically even though he is not horsey, turned everyone on the yard against me and made up some horrendous stories about me, which spread like wildfire. I was isolated and backstabbed, by people in the preceding weeks were very good friends. He was telling people that I went around saying really nasty things about them when I wasn't.
So I moved on advice of the local police. And ever since then I have actually been struggling to find decent care.
The yard I moved to ended up having one of the liveries from the original yard move into and the lies and bullying started again, so I had to leave. I got on well at that place but had to go as I just felt unable to manage it, and the liveries there turned against me and stopped talking to me. It since closed down.
I've ended up moving to several yards, because even though I pay top dollar, the care I've been getting has been sadly lacking. One yard was rationing hay so much I thought my horse had a serious disease and looked like a rescue case. So I had to leave there too, but this was for bad care and an underweight and very unwell horse. Another yard lied to my face about turnout and wasn't feeding my horse.
The next yard I had massive issues with care again. leaving headcollars on 24/7, substandard muck out, left standing in crap and the floors of the stables so worn away that old floor tiles, broken bottles and trampoline springs started coming out. Hay was rotten and the feed never fed. I was lied to repeatedly to my face.
So I did my research and found another place that was well recommended. And moved. Its expensive enough but despite that has good facilities, and fantastic hacking and its close to home. When I moved in it looked like the ritz carlton. I had been here before under different ownership.
Except its steadily gone downhill. Horses not fed, texts sent out about feeding too much hay, bedding rationed and muckout not done properly. White, blue and black mould has started appearing on walls. The banks in the stables are black and rotten. Spare stables are packed to the rafters with household rubbish and old feedbags and the rats have moved in. The tack room isn't secure either and breakins have been happening in the area. Liveries have to pay extra for beetpulp and chaff if they want it fed and the cheapest of the cheap feed is used otherwise.
The entire livery clientele complained to the owner and they said they would pull up their socks. Except its just gotten worse.
I had a complete meltdown after this and I'm now at the stage where I am sick of livery yards and livery and am wondering if I should just sell up and be done with it.
That said I would miss the horses something rotten, but I just don't know what to do.
BTW the stalking and character assasination has continued, 4 years later. He finds someone at the yard I am at each time and starts off on them time and again. Shows up unannounced if he can get in and kicks off. Although I think the police thing has stopped him at this current yard.
anyway sorry for such a long post - I just wanted to get it off my chest more than anything.
I decided a few years ago to travel to a yard that was an hour's journey from home, but had good facilities, good hacking and decent enough care. The liveries there were friendly and helpful and no nastyness.
The yard owner became quite fond of me and the trainers at the yard used to ask me to organise events and trips for the group of liveries.
Anyway between the jiggs and the reels - I became involved in what can only be called serious stalking and character assassination to the point of violence and bullying - from the fiance of one of the liveries at that yard. he tried to cajole me into having an affair with him behind the fiance's back and didn't take too kindly to me telling him where to shove it. So basically even though he is not horsey, turned everyone on the yard against me and made up some horrendous stories about me, which spread like wildfire. I was isolated and backstabbed, by people in the preceding weeks were very good friends. He was telling people that I went around saying really nasty things about them when I wasn't.
So I moved on advice of the local police. And ever since then I have actually been struggling to find decent care.
The yard I moved to ended up having one of the liveries from the original yard move into and the lies and bullying started again, so I had to leave. I got on well at that place but had to go as I just felt unable to manage it, and the liveries there turned against me and stopped talking to me. It since closed down.
I've ended up moving to several yards, because even though I pay top dollar, the care I've been getting has been sadly lacking. One yard was rationing hay so much I thought my horse had a serious disease and looked like a rescue case. So I had to leave there too, but this was for bad care and an underweight and very unwell horse. Another yard lied to my face about turnout and wasn't feeding my horse.
The next yard I had massive issues with care again. leaving headcollars on 24/7, substandard muck out, left standing in crap and the floors of the stables so worn away that old floor tiles, broken bottles and trampoline springs started coming out. Hay was rotten and the feed never fed. I was lied to repeatedly to my face.
So I did my research and found another place that was well recommended. And moved. Its expensive enough but despite that has good facilities, and fantastic hacking and its close to home. When I moved in it looked like the ritz carlton. I had been here before under different ownership.
Except its steadily gone downhill. Horses not fed, texts sent out about feeding too much hay, bedding rationed and muckout not done properly. White, blue and black mould has started appearing on walls. The banks in the stables are black and rotten. Spare stables are packed to the rafters with household rubbish and old feedbags and the rats have moved in. The tack room isn't secure either and breakins have been happening in the area. Liveries have to pay extra for beetpulp and chaff if they want it fed and the cheapest of the cheap feed is used otherwise.
The entire livery clientele complained to the owner and they said they would pull up their socks. Except its just gotten worse.
I had a complete meltdown after this and I'm now at the stage where I am sick of livery yards and livery and am wondering if I should just sell up and be done with it.
That said I would miss the horses something rotten, but I just don't know what to do.
BTW the stalking and character assasination has continued, 4 years later. He finds someone at the yard I am at each time and starts off on them time and again. Shows up unannounced if he can get in and kicks off. Although I think the police thing has stopped him at this current yard.
anyway sorry for such a long post - I just wanted to get it off my chest more than anything.